Festival of Light at Longleat. (Part Two)

A Boxing Day trip - to see the 'Festival of Light' at Longleat, Wiltshire - on what was possibly the wettest day of the festive season - 26th December 2017.

A Boxing Day TRIP – to experience the ‘Festival of Light’ at Longleat, Wiltshire.

Longleat Festival of Lights

On what was possibly the wettest day of the festive season – 26th December 2017. Someone’s inside-out umbrella abandoned in a bin.  I didn’t have an umbrella – or a coat and got soaked through – but it didn’t matter…

Longleat Festival of Light

The heavy rain couldn’t hope to dampen MY spirits because through my eyes – it only enhanced the LIGHT more – by reflecting it in the lakes of puddles.

Festival of Light at Longleat - Grimm's Fairy Tales.

At fifty-odd – I was suddenly a girl again; like Alice stepping through the looking glass into childhood’s world of magic and make-believe. Longleat had been transformed into a giant pop-up book of all the classic, best-loved Grimm’s fairy tales – laid flat for everyone to wander through.  These are just some of MY HIGH-LIGHTS…

Longleat Festival Of Light. Cinderella's coach

Longleat Festival Of Light. Snow White Longleat Festival Of Light. Snow White witch

Longleat Festival Of Light. Toadstools

Longleat Festival of Light

Longleat Festival Of Light. Snow Queen

Longleat Festival Of Light. Red Riding Hood

Longleat Festival Of Light. Red Riding Hood

Longleat Festival Of Light. Red Riding Hood

Longleat Festival Of Light. Seven Dwarfs

Anne, Charlotte and Emily Bronte!

 Sleeping Beauty's Castle - Longleat

Touching MAGIC and MAGIC touching me.  The wall of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle…

Despite ice-cold hands and fingers that had lost their ability to function properly – I determined to make a short film in the thorny enclosure that encircled Sleeping Beauty’s Castle…Longleat Festival Of Light. Thorns (2) To capture the MAGIC forever – and to especially record the beautiful hypnotic but ‘nameless’ soundtrack of the ‘moment’ that played continuously on a loop…
Longleat Festival Of Light. Dragon (1)The buffeting wind, biting rain and intermittent roars of a huge fire-breathing dragon over my shoulder – were all part of it. I felt like I was under some sort of enchantment – frozen by time – and elements. The ‘moment’ lasted longer than the fifty-nine seconds recorded, I’m certain of that – maybe even a hundred years… 

Meantime, my two rain-soaked sons retreated into ‘Costa’ – seemingly with everybody else – it was chock-a-block! Not my scene at all – everything and everybody was steaming like the contents of the huge plastic cups on offer – YUK! 

Longleat Festival Of Light. Entrance Stag

Eventually – I retreated into the comfort of an Edwardian Christmas in the main House – where I warmed my frozen hands on the hearth in the Great Hall. Again, I was transported to another time, another place -another century.  No photography allowed in the house – but I did sneak one last shot of the unforgettable ‘Festival of Fairy Tale Lights’ through the misted, listed window. A FANTASTIC ALL-ROUND TRIP.Longleat Festival Of Light. Through the window (1)

* * * * * * * * * *

My colour-fast Christmas Mistletoe scarf drying out on the dash on the journey back to Devon.

My special Christmas Mistletoe scarf drying out on the dash on the two hour journey back to Devon – thank god for the heated seats!

Completely COLOUR-FAST hand-blocked pure silk scarves and other beautiful hand-printed things available here.

'Leaf and Lace' Mistletoe Hand-Blocked Silk Scarf

Detail.

Detail.

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